Run Your Own Campsite in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Free) by Nintendo is a full-fledged Animal Crossing game for smartphones, and it's been met with much anticipation. Pocket Camp joins the ranks of other Nintendo games on iOS, including Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes.
Even though Animal Crossing has been around siince 2001 on the Nintendo 64, my first Animal Crossing experience wasn't until 2012's New Leaf on the Nintendo 3DS. So while I was a bit late to the Animal Crossing thing, I became hooked on it, doing what I thought would be mundane activities to make money and repay my debt to Tom Nook. I also loved playing online with my friends, visiting their villages and doing various activities together.
Then New Leaf kind of fell off for me, and I neglected my town about a year after I started. Now it's been years since I last played New Leaf, and honestly, I'm afraid to fire up the game in fear of finding out which of my beloved animal villagers has left me. But that's okay, because now there's Pocket Camp.
Super Mario Run
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Fire Emblem Heroes
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has the same AC aesthetic from previous games. This means a lush 3D rendered world that's full of bright and vibrant colors and cute animal character models. If you've played previous AC games, then you'll feel right at home. If this is your first AC experience, then you should let the low-poly style graphics work their charm on you, because it's hard to not fall in love with the AC world. All animations are smooth and there's no lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. Pocket Camp includes the adorable sound effects from previous games and the music is relaxing.
If you played previous AC games, you'll remember that you start as the mayor of a small village, and your goal is to grow and expand that town to attract new residents. Pocket Camp is different. Instead of owning a town, you're the manager of a campsite. You can choose the theme of the campsite (cute, cool, sporty, or natural) and decorate it however you want.
Various animal campers begin to set up camp in different areas of the campgrounds (riverside, island with plenty of bugs, oceanside, and even a lush grove), and your job is to meet them and fulfill their requests to build up friendship levels. By earning their trust, you'll get rewarded with Bells (AC currency) and useful crafting materials. When you get to certain friendship levels with animals, you'll earn cool things like matching clothes, rare materials and decor, and eventually their character portrait.
The requests that the campers have vary, but they're usually pretty easy to fulfill. These include collecting fruit, bugs, shells, or even fish. To get these items, you'll have to go around the campgrounds and do various activities. Once you harvest an item, like fruit from trees, you'll have to wait a while before more fruit is available (hello timers). Bugs and fish are quicker to re-spawn, as you'll find more if you just walk around a little.
If you have trouble finding specific items that animals request from you, then you may want to turn to the Market Box feature. In the Market Box, you (and others) can list items for sale. These can be seen by friends you've added and vice versa, so if you're in need of something, check what your friends have for sale.
Your character can also only carry so much, so when your bag is full, you'll need to sell items or list them. As you raise friendship levels, you'll earn experience points for your character. Once you level up, you unlock more characters, your inventory space may increase, and you unlock more items to craft.
After you reach certain friendship levels with animals, you can also invite them to your campsite, and have them stay permanently if there's space. But each animal has certain requirements that need to be fulfilled before they visit, and this includes having specific decor items available.
There's also a marketplace area on the map, where mobile versions of your favorite shops come by to sell goods. This includes the Able Sisters for clothes, Kicks for shoes and socks, and the traveling Nook 'n' Go for various decor. The vendors rotate every few hours, so you'll want to check back often for new items.
On top of everything, you roll around in a mobile camper. This serves as your home in the game, and it can be customized on the inside and outside. New to Pocket Camp is OK Motors, ran by brothers Giovanni, Beppe, and Carlo. They can do paint jobs, change your camper style, and upgrade the inside to be bigger and better! They're also this game's Tom Nook, because you'll have to do loans for these pricey upgrade jobs, and pay them back over time.
Since Pocket Camp is a free game, there are Leaf Tickets. This is the premium currency that's used to speed up crafting jobs from Cyrus and even purchase special items like throw nets (catch many fish), honey (attract many bugs), and fertilizer (grow fruit immediately). While you can buy Leaf Tickets through IAP if you're low, I found that the game is rather generous with giving you free Leaf Tickets from leveling up and completing Timed/Stretch Goals.
I've spent a good several hours playing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp since it came out, and not surprisingly, I find it hard to put down. I swear I swore off of Animal Crossing since I abandoned my village in New Leaf, but just like that, Nintendo has pulled me back in to this adorable world through camping.
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a watered-down version of the console franchise, but it still provides players with plenty to do and collect.
The Good
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has a lot of things to do that will keep players (new and old) invested for a while. This is a nice mobile version of the popular franchise, though it's a bit watered down from the console versions. It's easy to navigate through the campground, there's a ton of animals (including your favorites), and the one-touch controls for activities makes it easy to play this anywhere, anytime.
And despite it being a free game, Leaf Bucks are not hard to get without paying a dime. And while there are timers (like the actual games), this game is meant to be played in spurts throughout the day, whether they're minutes or hours.
The Bad
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is its own beast. If you are expecting a full-on game with free-roam and vast areas to explore and collect things, then you won't find it in Pocket Camp. Each area on the map is limited in terms of things you can do there, and it definitely feels mini-sized.
I also wish that the mobile vendors sold more than three items at once. They stay in the marketplace for several hours, so when I go back to check, it's often the same stuff (yes I play a lot). I would like to see maybe six items at a time for the clothes and socks, because I love to customize my character and have favorite accessories that I want.
The verdict
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a great mobile version of the popular simulation game. I was afraid that Nintendo may ruin Animal Crossing on iOS (Super Mario Run didn't do that great after the initial launch), but Pocket Camp is fantastic for what it is — a mobile version of a fun simulation game. It may be a watered down version of previous games, but there's still plenty to do and collect in Pocket Camp.
I've spent a good amount of time with it so far, and I'm already level 20. If I get bored, I can just launch it, check on my campsite and do some requests, gather some items, and then put it away. Or I can just keep playing it for hours if I feel like it. It's also incredibly relaxing to play, and provides me an escape from reality.
I recommend Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp if you're a fan of Animal Crossing, or just want a relaxing game filled with adorable animals. You can find Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on the App Store as a universal download for free with in-app purchases.
9.5
OVERALL
Graphics 10
Sound/Music 10
Replayability 9
Game Controls 9.5
Gameplay 9
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
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Capcom's Puzzle Fighter is Here, But Not Without Flaws
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Puzzle Fighter (Free) by CAPCOM is a mobile version of the popular 1996 game, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, except this time there's more characters from other popular Capcom franchises. If you enjoyed games like Match Land and Tetris, but want a bit more Street Fighter action in your match-three games, then Puzzle Fighter is a perfect match for you.
While I'm not a huge fan of Street Fighter due to my lack of skill in the game, I've always been interested in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, though I don't have a way to own the original game. But as a big fan of matching puzzle games with battling elements in it, I couldn't resist Puzzle Fighter when I heard about it months ago. Now that it's here, I have to admit — it's kind of a mixed bag on this one.
Street Fighter IV CE
CAPCOM Co., Ltd
Match Land
Race Cat
Visually, Puzzle Fighter has a polished look when it comes to the character models and the game pieces on the board. The game's rendered in 3D with the characters and the backdrops, and even the gems have a bit of depth to them. In Puzzle Fighter, all of the characters carry a bit of a cute and chubby appearance, which is what makes the Puzzle Fighter games stand out. It's not as serious as the regular Street Fighter games, and makes you feel a bit more relaxed, even though the matches are still intense. Puzzle Fighter features an abundance of bright and vibrant colors and lush backdrops, and animations are smooth and fluid. The soundtrack is upbeat and quirky, and the sound effects are just as you'd expect from a fighting game. Puzzle Fighter also has the voices of your favorite characters announcing their special moves, which is a nice touch.
Puzzle Fighter on mobile has two modes: Online or Missions. The game only gives you about three missions of various difficulty to do at a time, before you have to wait hours for the next one to unlock. Online pits you against other players within your skill rank, and you must beat other players to unlock better rewards. Regardless of the mode you go with, the goal remains the same: make matches and have your fighter K.O. the opponent before they get you first.
The controls in Puzzle Fighter are simple, especially if you've played games like Tetris before. The pieces in Puzzle Fighter consist of two colored blocks, sometimes with an orb that can break other like-colored blocks for matches. You drag your finger horizontally to move it to the column you want it to be in. Tapping lets you rotate the piece, and then swiping down makes it drop.
When you get four like-colored pieces together in a square formation, it creates a power-gem that you can crush with the orb to do your character's special power move. Matching enough power-gems will charge your super move meter, which unleashes a devastating attack on your foe. All matches allow your character to do a hit on the enemy, though damage dealt is dependent on how good it was.
While you can make matches with any color gem on the board, it's best to go with your character's affinity color. This dishes out the most damage and is most efficient. Again, you can still make matches of any color, but if it isn't the character's affinity, the damage will be less.
As you play and win matches, you'll earn rewards like coins and experience points. The game also features cards for characters and their special moves, so you can change the selected power move if you want to try something new. Each move can be upgraded as well to deal more damage.
Since Puzzle Fighter is a freemium game, you can expect a lot of free-to-play aspects here. There are timers galore for the free chest, and you'll need gems to get rarer chests with better prizes. There may not be an energy system, but you do have to wait a bit after winning or clearing missions for new battles. It also tends to push into pay-to-win territory, since player pairing is imbalanced.
A match three battle game featuring characters from Street Fighter, Mega Man, Okami, and more.
The Good
Puzzle Fighter is a fun and intense puzzle matching game that contains your favorite Capcom characters. It's easy to learn and the controls are nice and intuitive. There is also a lot of content to unlock, and it's a nice homage to the original game.
The Bad
While I was wanted to like this version of Puzzle Fighter, I can't help but feel disappointed at what Capcom came up with. The PvP battles are imbalanced, as I'm only level one facing off against level three people with full teams — how is that fair? I'm also disappointed with the lack of single player, because three "missions" at a time is not what I would expect for a single player campaign. Plus, single player would give players a chance to improve their characters before facing off against others, and all of that is missing in this game.
Due to the imbalanced PvP in Puzzle Fighter, the game leans heavily towards pay-to-win, and I can't find myself getting any real enjoyment from it.
The verdict
I think this is one of the bigger disappointments of the year for me. I was eagerly looking forward to Puzzle Fighter for months, as I'm a sucker for matching puzzle battle games. However, this just feels like a cash grab from Capcom and has no soul to it. Personally, it's like an empty shell to me, and that's sad. Aside from the endearing graphics, there's not much else that's good about this game.
6.7
OVERALL
Game Controls 8
Sound/Music 8
Graphics 7.5
Replayability 5
Gameplay 5
Puzzle Fighter
CAPCOM Co., Ltd
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Hop and Slash Your Way to the Top in Hoppenhelm
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Hoppenhelm (Free) by Tobias Ornberg is a twitchy platformer arcade game. If you're looking to get a quick gaming fix while you're out-and-about, then Hoppenhelm is a great contender for that. If you enjoyed games like Super Samurai Rampage and Dragon Hills 2, then chances are you'll like Hoppenhelm.
My life's been pretty busy lately, so I've taken refuge with a ton of different video games recently. My latest vice is, not surprisingly, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, but when I'm done fulfilling requests of cute animals, I need something else to do. This is when quick-fix mobile games come in, as I can just play these in short bursts throughout the day. As a big fan of platformer games, I'm liking what Hoppenhelm has to offer so far.
Super Samurai Rampage
Brackish Games
Dragon Hills 2
Cezary Rajkowski
Visually, Hoppenhelm carries a retro aesthetic that takes me back to my childhood days of 16-bit games. The game is completely in 2D with a pixel art style that serves as a fantastic homage to SNES games and the like. Despite the pixelated look, Hoppenhelm manages to pack in a lot of finer details, such as textures to indicate crumbling platforms that you need to watch out for. Character models are all unique and distinctive, and the enemies have their own behavioral patterns as well. Animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus, with no issues of lag or choppiness. To top it all off, Hoppenhelm has a fantastically eerie chiptune soundtrack that fits in perfectly with the game's environment, and the sound effects are delightful.
Since Hoppenhelm is a twitchy reflex arcade game, there are no levels or anything of the sort. Instead, it's an endless game where you test how far you can go. In Hoppenhelm, you control a knight who must hop through a dungeon environment while also attacking and defending himself from various enemies. Each hop counts as a step, and your score is essentially the number of steps you took.
The game's one-touch control scheme makes this incredibly playable anywhere, anytime. There are three large buttons towards the bottom of the screen. The biggest one is in the center, and that's the button to hop forward one space. To the left is the button to perform an attack, and to the right is the button to defend with a shield. While the game sounds easy enough with such simple controls, things are actually challenging and can get pretty tricky.
With Hoppenhelm, you must time your hops carefully if you want to make it to the next platform before the crumbling one dissolves underneath your feet. Enemies also attack you, so you have to take them out before they get a hit in on you, or block with your trusty shield. There's also moving spikes, coins to collect, and other deadly hazards to watch out for.
There are multiple knights that you can unlock in Hoppenhelm. If you have collected enough coins, you can unlock the next character. The price goes up as you get towards the stronger ones, but they're worth the cost. Each knight has a special ability, such as being able to take more hits before dying or dishing out more damage to foes.
Additionally, there are also weapons to unlock. Again, the price is more for stronger ones, and these also include unique traits, such as the chance to land critical hits. With the combination of knight characters and weapons, you can end up with some interesting play styles.
An arcade platformer with one touch controls that presents you will all kinds of dungeon obstacles.
The Good
Hoppenhelm is a fresh take on arcade platformer games. While there are many twitchy arcade reflex games, there aren't too many that have the platforming aspect, so it's nice to see. The graphics of the game are top notch, as it's a great homage to the classics. The chiptune music is done well too.
The controls are intuitive and easy for anyone to pick-up-and-play. But don't be fooled — the game proves to be rather challenging when you factor in all of the dangers that await you. Plus, there's many possibilities of character and weapon combinations, so you can find a play style that fits you.
The Bad
Mostly everything about Hoppenhelm is good. However, just keep in mind that this is a freemium game, so there are occasional ads that pop up every so often. However, it doesn't happen too frequently and is not super intrusive. Like other games, there's always the opportunity to watch an ad to double your coins though. If the ads bother you too much, then there is an in-app purchase that removes ads, but it's completely optional.
The verdict
As a fan of twitch reflex arcade games and platformers, Hoppenhelm is a nice mix of both. I'm in love with the graphics and chiptunes, as they make me feel like a kid again. The one-touch controls make the game easily accessible for anyone with a touch screen, but the challenging gameplay and unlockable content keeps you coming back for more.
9.4
OVERALL
Sound/Music 10
Replayability 9
Game Controls 9.5
Graphics 9.5
Gameplay 9
Hoppenhelm
BUN GUN AB
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Uncover the Secrets of the Toy Box in GNOG
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
GNOG ($4.99) by KO.OP is a playful puzzle game featuring toys and secrets galore. If you enjoyed games like Campfire Cooking and Vignettes, then you're going to like what GNOG brings to the table. It's also available on the PlayStation 4 with PSVR support.
With the holidays just around the corner once again, life's been pretty hectic. You know, with all of the decorating, buying gifts, and planning out holiday feasts. When I need a break from life and reality for a bit, I just want to sit down with some video games. Most of my time has gone into Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp lately, as it's one of the most zen-like games out there (just like Animal Crossing: New Leaf). Still, I'm a sucker for puzzle games so when I saw GNOG on the App Store, I had to give it a try. Plus, it reminds me a lot of Vignettes, which was a fantastic game as well.
Campfire Cooking
Layton Hawkes
Vignettes
Skeleton Business
Visually, GNOG is stunningly gorgeous. The game has a nice mixture of both 2D and 3D graphical elements. But the puzzles themselves take place in 3D toy boxes that are shaped like charming monster heads, and each one is unique and distinctive. GNOG is full of bright and vibrant colors that definitely serve their purpose as eye candy. All animations are buttery smooth and fluid, so there was no lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient and atmospheric soundtrack is soothing to listen to as you solve the puzzles, and the sound effects are delightful, fitting in well with the overall toy box theme. Plus, the monster heads eventually sing along to the music, which changes during the puzzles, and it's amazing.
Like most puzzle games, GNOG is level-based. There are nine toy puzzles to solve at the moment. While that doesn't sound like much, the puzzles can be rather lengthy and challenging, so you do spend quite a bit of time on them. And there's not really any tutorial or guidance, so you're left to figure things out on your own. While some may prefer not having their hands held in games, others who need a little push may feel a tad lost in GNOG.
The goal in GNOG is to solve the puzzles within each monster head puzzle box, where entire worlds can be found. These worlds tell a story through pictures, and these actually serve as clues to how to solve the puzzles. While some are fairly straightforward and easy to figure out, others are more intricate and complex. Regardless, the key to GNOG is paying attention to fine details, so it's a test of your observing skills.
Controls in GNOG are intuitive and optimized for touch screens. A swipe of your finger horizontally on the screen lets you rotate the monster heads, so you can see both the front and the back. There are buttons to press with a tap, sliders to slide, and handles to turn. All of these actions are simple on touch screens, and it makes everything feel even more realistic, as if you're truly poking and prodding at an actual toy.
For a bit of fun, GNOG utilizes iOS's ARKit, so you can play the game using your camera viewfinder to set the background. However, controls in the AR mode are a bit clunkier than normal, so it definitely feels more of a gimmick than it is useful. But it's great to show kids.
An interactive 3D toy that lets you swipe, pull, push, and more to what can happen.
The Good
GNOG is a beautiful puzzle game that simply captivates with pure charm and delight. The graphics are one of the best parts of the game, as the designs for each of the monster head boxes are special and remarkable. In a way, a few of the designs remind me of Dia de los Muertos, which isn't a bad thing. The music is relaxing and I like how it changes once you start to figure out the puzzles, and having the monster heads sing along is a nice touch.
While GNOG is available on a console as well, and even coming to Steam, this is the kind of game that seems to be made for touch screens. The way you need to poke, pull, twist, and turn various interactive parts of the toy box just seems perfectly designed for touch, so it feels natural.
The Bad
While GNOG is a great game, it's not perfect. The lack of guidance can confuse some people, and make them feel stuck. And while the nine existing puzzles provide a distinctive experience, it feels a bit short for the money. I hope that more puzzles are added in the future, if possible, as that would extend the life of the game.
The verdict
GNOG is one of those quirky games that brings in a special kind of experience to iOS gaming. The graphics are amazing to look at, the dynamic music is upbeat and catchy, and the controls feel natural. But the lack of guidance can be a drawback for some, but overall, it's a great game to sit back and relax with.
9.2
OVERALL
Game Controls 10
Graphics 10
Sound/Music 10
Gameplay 9
Replayability 7
GNOG
KO_OP
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All Hail the Queen in Reigns: Her Majesty
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Reigns: Her Majesty ($2.99) by Devolver Digital is the official sequel of the popular, original Reigns game (our review) that came out last year. If you've ever wondered what it felt like to rule over a kingdom as a queen (or king with the first game), then this is the perfect bite-size mobile game to help you accomplish that. In some ways, Her Majesty feels more flushed out than its predecessor.
In the age of Tinder-style apps (such as Popcorn), it's not surprising that this format would end up in mobile games. The format is perfect for the choose-your-own-adventure kind of game, which is what Reigns is. In the original, you sat as the king, overseeing a kingdom and making tough decisions that affect your church, people, army, and treasury. It was a simple concept, as you were just presented with situations and two options for choices. I loved the original, but even with the additional character cards to unlock, it felt like it was missing something. And now Her Majesty has arrived.
Reigns
GHI Media, LLC
Visually, Her Majesty features the same art style as the original Reigns. This means a minimal aesthetic with flat, 2D visuals that have a low-poly design. The color palette remains similar as well, with a nice mix of bright, vivid colors and muted, earthy tones so that everything contrasts nicely. The character designs on the cards are all unique and distinctive, so you can tell what they are in a single glance. The icons for the kingdom's various levels are the same, and the green and red transitions help you identify when a decision positively or negatively impacts your kingdom. Animations are smooth and fluid, and I had no issues of lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The original soundtrack by Jim Guthrie is ambient and soothing, while the sound effects are as quirky as ever.
In the original game, players ruled as the King and various citizens of the kingdom came to you with a wide variety of situations. You were given two choices, which could be revealed by swiping left or right (you can pull the card slightly in either direction to see your options). Each choice you make will affect the levels of your kingdom (religion, people, army, and money), and you continued until your inevitable death. The goal was to see how long your rule would last, and then you'd play again as a new King.
While Her Majesty is the same concept, it adds in a few new elements to spice things up again. With these new additions, the game feels more robust than before, while providing the same gameplay that you loved from the original.
In Her Majesty, you're actually ruling together with a King by your side. However, don't let that fool you — you're still making all of the tough decisions, and the King will just go along with whatever you say. And since you're a female in this game, there are choice you must make regarding how you dress, and you'll even have children. The game has the same great humor that was in the first one, so that hasn't left.
Additionally, Her Majesty has some new game mechanics, such as usable items and puzzles. To access your item stash, just tap on the arrow at the bottom, then select the item you want to use, then tap on the character card you want to use it on. Puzzles involve remembering steps and doing them in the correct order, finding hidden secrets in the castle, and even finding your way through a maze. Her Majesty also has a combat system, but it may take you a few attempts before you even see this, as you'll need to manage the kingdom without it falling apart first.
To keep players coming back, there are new characters to unlock, like in the first game, and objectives to complete.
Reigns returns in an all new time period with all new swipe based choices.
Her Majesty is a great follow-up to the original game that came out last year. The first game felt a bit basic, but this sequel adds in many new features that make the game feel more whole. Plus, the game's simple style is endearing, the music is incredibly well done, and the controls are still intuitive. The humor is carried over too, which is sure to bring a smile to your face as you play.
If you were a fan of the original Reigns, then Her Majesty brings more of the same.
Even with the new additions, Her Majesty still feels a lot like the original Reigns. While this may not necessarily be a bad thing, the concept is no longer fresh and interesting as it was when it first came out. It is also rather hard to not have some misfortune fall upon you before reaching the new game elements, such as combat and childbirth.
The verdict
Reigns: Her Majesty is a great sequel that fans of the original game must check out. The graphics are as charming as ever and feel more polished than last year. Jim Guthrie's music is top-notch once again, and the soundtrack is just lovely. The diversity of gameplay mechanics in Her Majesty will keep you coming back for more, and it does make the game more challenging.
If you're looking for a fun choose-your-own-adventure kind of game, make sure to grab Reigns: Her Majesty.
9.6
OVERALL
Replayability 10
Game Controls 10
Sound/Music 10
Graphics 9
Gameplay 9
Reigns: Her Majesty
Devolver
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